Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests
by good old fashioned little shit
Summary: "I can't simply go in there and say 'oh hello, I'm a dragon lord's daughter who doesn't care about you or your plans, I'm just here for the beast you wanna kill.' and get away with it." She paused briefly. "At least I'd hope I wouldn't be able to get away with it. I'd hope warriors are more careful than that." The Hobbit AU. Friendship & Adventure mostly. Romance is later on. R&R!
1. Loraeza the Confused & Slightly Annoyed

Mortals were, and always had been, some of Loraeza's favorite beings. They lived life so fully, without procrastination and with so much... well, _life,_ ironically enough. When she had been a younger woman, she had daydreamed fantasies of finding a mortal love and having him until the end of his days, where she would weep over his frail body as he said his final goodbye. But as she got older, she realized that the morbid fantasies of human affairs she'd entertained in her mind were something of a child's love for great romance stories.

Three thousand years came and passed and she had still not found any great purpose for her existence. Her kind, as she knew, were of the immortals. Not only were they fierce warriors and passionate scholars, but it was also true that they were usually weary of the world they grew to know as time passed. Some of them, it drove mad. It was a sickness that all lords of her kind possessed inside of them. It was a sickness that she herself had thought about many times while she lay in bed, hoping that the next day would be more interesting than the one she'd just made her way through.

Three thousand years passed, and then one day... _i__t_ happened.

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><p>Malrys; it the home of her family. Once upon a time it had been a giant castle, surrounded by guards and patrolled heavily during the dark ages. Yet now, it sat in the lower region of Rome, Italy. It was still beautiful, that was for sure. But once the Roman Empire of Man fell, it had lost it's luster. Or at least, Loraeza thought it had. Now, only known as Malrys Manor, it was less than half the size that it once had been, but it was still her home and she loved it dearly.<p>

However, that never stopped it from growing tiresome and boring during the hot summer months. It was during the time where the light of the sun faded into the cool silver dark of the moon that Loraeza found herself leaning against the railing of the balcony that led from her rooms. She had spent most of the day there, just thinking and listening to the sounds of the estate. No one had bothered her that day, since her father was gone and her brothers had long since left their home years before. The only family member that she knew for sure was in the home was her mother, and there were doubts in Loraeza's mind that she was even there. It was unusual for her mother to be so silent.

But that didn't stop her from enjoying her peace. Or she tried to. It was unfortunately interrupted when she saw a flash of light down in one of the fields in front of her, and she frowned slightly. There was no reason for there to be any sources of light near that direction.

Normally, she would send one of her father's men to go check it out. After all, it really wasn't her problem and she had found enough trouble in the past to last several lifetimes over to make her parents nearly sick with worry. That night it was different though. She was far too curious are way too bored to just not go investigating.

With her skirt in one hand, she rushed out of her room and down the marbled halls of the great mansion. Her bare feet made a soft padding sound as she all but flew down the steps. She knew that it was likely that she could very well have imagined the flash of light, or maybe there was a completely logical explanation for such light. But then, there was that voice in the back of the head that slowly grew as she made her way through the field and into the grove of trees that it came from. What if it was something that changed everything? What if it was something grand.

However, a man dressed in a beggar's gray threads was the last thing she had expected to find.

He was shorter than her. Though, most men who weren't her kind were. And just like his clothes, his long beard and stringy hair were both gray with age, yet his eyes as he turned to look at her were full of life. There was something about this man who made her step back, take in her surroundings, and narrow her eyes ever so slightly in annoyance. Had she really gotten all excited for a wandering old man?

"Hello my dear!" He greeted cheerfully, as if he knew her well.

Despite where they were, he greeted her in English. It was something she found odd, just as his accent was odd, but Loraeza brushed it off without a second thought. An accent surely wasn't the strangest thing about this newcomer.

"You're not supposed to be here. This is private property." She spoke back to him after a beat of silence, crossing her arms as she did so. The old man shrugged and looked around, looking at the overhanging trees that blocked out most of the moonlight.

"Is it? I hadn't known."

Loraeza waited for a minute. It had seemed that was all he had to say on the matter, and that fact alone made her quirk an eyebrow at him. "Yes. It is. So if you could... I don't know... Leave, maybe, that would be very nice." He only smiled in return. "Or I could call security and they can help you on." She told him sternly.

"Oh come now. I haven't harmed anything. No, I was just about to come looking for someone for help!"

"Were you now?" The old man nodded once and looked her over, as if he were appraising her. Despite it not being a vulgar stare or anything like that, it still made her uncomfortable. "I take it you wandered in and got lost?" Loraeza asked, her voice losing some of its edge as she spoke. There wasn't really any reason for her to be cross with him, she knew that now. It still wasn't every day that you found a weird old man on your property, though.

"Oh no, no. Not lost at all. I've found just who I was looking for! And that person my dear, would be you." He said and she couldn't help the undignified snort that came out of her at his words.

"Me? I don't know you. And I would remember an odd fellow like yourself. So..." She trailed off, tilting her head at the end of the sentence. Instead of taking offense to what she said, he simply laughed and nodded. It was like they were both in on a joke. Except there was no joke, and she wasn't laughing.

"How rude of me. My name is Gandalf the Grey." This made her chuckle a little. It was a fitting name, that was for sure.

"Yeah? I'm Loraeza the Confused and Slightly Annoyed. Pleased to meet you. Now get off my property please." Were her words just before she turned and started walking away. Her arms fell to her sides as she took long strides, still feeling the gaze of the old man on her back.

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure." He called out to her, but it never made her slow her pace. If anything, it just made her shake her head and laugh a little.

"You're not my type. Try the city, I'm sure there'll be someone adventurous who likes whatever you're offering." She called back over her shoulder. But his next words, as few as they were, made her stop completely.

"It concerns the fate of a great and terrible dragon."

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight. You, Gandalf the Grey, are from another world. A place called Middle Earth where there are Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, and god knows what else. And you want me to join this... company of dwarvenwarriors on this extremely dangerous adventure to try to reclaim their mountain. Said warriors want to kill thedragon-"<p>

"The dragon Smaug." Gandalf interrupted from his spot beneath one of the trees.

"Yeah, sure. Smaug. The dwarves want to kill Smaug. But I'm supposed to go along to help save him. Am I getting this all right?" She asked, sitting on a bench that hadn't been too far from where she'd found Gandalf.

"Yes, my dear. You're very correct. Smaug, as he is terrible and a nuisance to the dwarven race, is still a being of great power, and I am hesitant for him to be killed, though it might prove futile. There is no sure way of saving him, but I must try, you see. _You _must try." He explained gravely, tipping his head down as he spoke.

"Mmm... yeah, that seems... I don't know, dangerous? For me, I mean. I can't simply go in there and say 'oh hello, I'm a dragon lord's daughter who doesn't care about you or your plans, I'm just here for the beast you wanna kill.' and get away with it." She paused briefly. "At least I'd hope I wouldn't be able to get away with it. I'd hope warriors are more careful than that." She blinked at the wizard, who'd only revealed himself to be a wizard after she'd scoffed in his face.

"Of course not. I searched for a willing heart to help the beast out, and yours was what I found. You just happened to be one of his kind. Or some species of his kind, in the very least. I have yet to figure out just what you are." He said, the unspoken question hanging in between the two. It made Loraeza roll her eyes in annoyance.

"You could've just outright asked what I was instead of being annoyingly subtle." She told him before clearing her throat and folding her legs up under her, letting the end of her skirt fall over the edge of the bench. "I'm a dragon, yeah. But... we're not like the dragons you're used to. At least, I don't think so. We're the two natured. Both dragon and man, both human and beast. We live forever, but we can die. We have great strength yet so many weaknesses plague us if we're not careful." Loraeza spoke as if she were reciting from a book, noticing Gandalf's amused expression. "I guess you could say we're the greatest race on earth, since we're also the strongest. But... Half of us go mad after a millennium or two and start attacking people. It's just something that happens. I wouldn't say we're anything special, but we're not horrid." Her lips were pursed.

"I never said you were."

"No, you didn't _wizard._ But from what I gather I'm not exactly the same as the dragons you speak of in your world, nor would I feel very welcomed going on this quest." Loraeza told Gandalf.

"You would not have to out right tell them what you are. All I must do is say that you are special, that you can help the company in many ways. I assure you, we have much time to figure out why you would be useful to the company without telling the truth." Gandalf said as he got up, leaning on his staff as he did so and putting his hat backon his head. Loraeza frowned at him.

"Are you really so willing to lie easily to your friends?" She asked, brows disappearing into her hairline in slight shock. This man had seemed loyal from what she'd heard in his voice while he spoke.

But all Gandalf Greyhame did was grin at her and shrug. "In matters such as these, I find it that keeping a few bits of truth to myself goes a very long way. Now up, up, up, Lady Loraeza! We have an adventure to be getting to!" He shuffled over to her and pulled her up, barely noticing that she was resisting in the least bit.

"What, now? I'm not even wearing shoes! And I haven't agreed! And I haven't told anyone that I'm going anywhere!" She argued, but was pushed along in front of him to a large stone that she hadn't remembered being there before that night.

"All will be fixed upon entering the door."

"...But, Gandalf... that's a big rock."

"Is it?" He asked from behind her, and she turned to frown down at him when she caught notice of the orb at the end of his staff glowing white. With a flash she was familiar with, she turned back to see a door settled into the rock. If she were being honest, it completely blew her mind when magic like that was done.

"This is a one time offer, Loraeza. Come and save Erebor, save Smaug, and find the life you've wanted fora long time." Gandalf rumbled behind her, obviously growing a little impatient at her hesitance.

And just like that, she knew, just knew that she had to open the door and walk through. So that's what she did.

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><p>AN;

Oh look at that, I've started a new story. This tale is one I've had floating around in my head for a while now, and I thought, well, why not give it a shot? More about Loraeza will be revealed later, and she will indeed meet our favorite dwarves and the one and only Bilbo Baggins later on.

But hey guys, be honest and tell me what you think. Yay or nay? Do you like Loraeza so far? Do you think she's annoying? Do you think she should've talked a little more with Gandalf before jumping head first into Middle Earth? What do you think of her being there for Smaug and not the Company? These are things I want your opinions on. So review! I might answer reviews in the next chapter, too.

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><p><em>next time on <strong>Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests<strong>..._

"Are all humans 'round these parts that short?" She asked, and he too stopped walking and turned to see the group of eight who had been trying to get the duo's attention. He laughed, realizing who the men were.

"Of course not, my dear. Why, those are some of the dwarves!"


	2. An Unexpected Visit

_"My dear Frodo. You asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. And while I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it."_

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><p><em>"I am old, Frodo. I'm not the same Hobbit I once was. I think it is time for you to know what really happened. It began long ago in a land far away to the east, the like of which you will not find in the world today."<em>

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><p><em>"There was the city of Dale. Its markets known far and wide, full of the bounties of vine and vale. Peaceful, and prosperous. For this city lay before the doors of the greatest kingdom in Middle Earth: Erebor. Stronghold of Thror, King under the Mountain, mightiest of the dwarf lords."<em>

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><p><em>"Thror ruled with utter surety, never doubting his house would endure, for his line lay secure in the lives of his son and grandson. Ah, Frodo, Erebor; built deep within the mountain itself, the beauty of this fortress city was legend."<em>

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><p><em>"Its wealth lay in the earth, in precious gems hewn from rock, and in great streams of gold, running like rivers through stone. The skill of the dwarves was unequaled, fashioning objects of great beauty of diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire. Ever they delved deeper, down into the dark. And that is where they found it. The heart of the mountain. The Arkenstone. Thror named it the King's Jewel. He took it as a sign. A sign that his right to rule was divine. All would pay homage to him, even the great Elvenking, Thranduil."<em>

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><p><em>"But the years of peace of plenty were not to last. Slowly, the days turned sour, and the watchful nights closed in. Thror's love of gold had grown too fierce. A sickness had begun to grow within him; it was a sickness of the mind. And where sickness thrives, bad things will follow."<em>

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><p><em>"The first they heard was a noise like a hurricane coming down from the north. The pines on the mountain creaked and cracked in a hot, dry wind. It was a drake from the north. Smaug had come."<em>

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><p><em>"Such wanton death was dealt that day, for this city of men was nothing to Smaug; his eye was set on another prize. For dragons covet gold with a dark and fierce desire."<em>

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><p><em>"Erebor was lost, for a dragon will guard his plunder as long as he lives."<em>

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><p><em>"Thranduil would not risk the lives of his kin against the wrath of the dragon. No help came from the elves that day, or any day since."<em>

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><p><em>"Robbed of their homeland, the dwarves of Erebor wandered the wilderness, a once mighty people brought low. The young dwarf prince took work where he could find it, laboring in the villages of men, but always he remembered the mountain smoke beneath the moon, the trees like torches blazing bright, for he had seen dragon fire in the sky, and his city turned to ash. And he never forgave, and he never forgot."<em>

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><p><em>"That, my dear Frodo, is where I come in. For quite by chance, and the will of a wizard, fate decided I would become part of this tale. It began, well, it began as you might expect."<em>

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><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

_An Unexpected Visit_

Bilbo Baggins. A perfectly respectable hobbit and general do-gooder in his part of the Shire.

How Bilbo loved his Shire. It was a cozy, safe place where a hobbit could settle down and live a peaceful life. On one cheery afternoon, he sat on the bench that was just in front of his hobbit hole and began smoking from his pipe. The smoke ring he'd blown with closed eyes faded ever so slowly and when a tall stranger walked up to his door, it collapsed into a moth of smoke and blew back in his face. Coughing, he waved a hand in front of his face to rid the air of the smoke while twitching his little nose.

It was then in a moment's time that he noticed the one who had walked up. A man; an_old_ man, was standing before him and leaning on a large walking staff. He was gazing at Bilbo in a most peculiar way, and Bilbo would have been lying if he had said that it didn't make him uncomfortable. Finally, he spoke up, giving the man a nod.

"Good morning." But the reply was the last thing he thought the figure would say.

"What do you _mean_? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or, perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?" The grey figure rumbled in a tone that the hobbit couldn't place, but didn't like still. Lost in his bewilderment, he managed to stutter out a reply to the newcomer, his head still reeling from the odd reply he'd received.

"All of them at once, I suppose." Said Bilbo, though he wasn't entirely sure what to say to such an odd traveler.

There was another long pause between them, the old man leaning on his staff and gazing at the hobbit, and the hobbit awkwardly puffing on his pipe and trying to ignore the gaze of the wizard.

Finally, Bilbo broke the silence. "Can I help you?"

"That remains to be seen. I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure." This statement from the wizard made Bilbo nearly shrink back in shock. An adventure? Why on earth would this wanderer think that _he_ wanted an adventure?

"An adventure?"Bilbo started. "Now, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things." Bilbo shook his head determinedly and stood up from his spot on the bench and went to his mailbox. "Make you late for dinner!" He exclaimed in indignation as he pointed the pipe at the other once and proceeded to check through his mail as if he hadn't been ruffled up by this man's offer of an adventure. "Good morning." He said as a last farewell and made way for the round door to enter his home. That was when the man spoke up, catching the poor hobbit entirely by surprise.

"To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I were selling buttons at the door!"

"Beg your pardon?"

"You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins." The man said, making Bilbo lean back in both shock and confusion, wondering how on middle earth the stranger could _possibly_ know his name.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, and the wizard huffed in annoyance at the hobbit's manners.

"Well, you know my name, although you don't remember that I belong to it. I'm Gandalf! And Gandalf means..." Gandalf paused, suddenly unsure where his sentence was leading. "...me."

"Gandalf..." Bilbo mused, feeling the name roll around in his head before he realized where he knew the name from and just who he was speaking to. "Not Gandalf, the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve." He chuckled in victory of figuring out just who this stranger was before setting his eyes back on the wizard. "Well, I had no idea you were still in business."

At this, Gandalf bristled. "And where else should I be?" He asked, a question to which Bilbo Baggins hadn't the answer to. Instead he made a 'ha-hmm' sound and puffed on his pipe again. Before he could say anything, Gandalf spoke. "Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks." He paused, studying the hobbit one last time and deciding for himself that this was the one he needed.

"Well, that's decided. It will be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall tell the others after I find one more..." He stated, though the last bit was more for his ears and not for Bilbo's.

"Inform the who? What?" By that time, Bilbo seemed to catch onto what Gandalf meant and tried to dissuade him from the idea. He was really not the adventuring type. "No. No. No! We do not want any adventures here, thank you!" His voice took on a rather aggressive tone and started back towards his door. "Not today, mm-mm. I suggest you try over the Hill or across the Water." He paused, already in the house and his hand on the door. "Good morning!" He said finally and slammed the door.

All he heard was the noise of Gandalf's staff leaving a rather interesting symbol on his newly painted door. Though, he hadn't a clue to what the noise was then.

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><p>During her life, Loraeza had traveled by different means of transportation. She remembered when horses were the fastest way any where, and how she hated riding them. She could recall when the first cars were made, and how she spent a small fortune on buying one before her brother could; oh, that was something she liked to gloat about decades later. Trains were nice, and planes were extremely constricting but she could deal with them. But travelling to a different world through a simple door was probably her least favorite.<p>

Once she opened the door, her legs nearly gave way out from under her and she felt much like a small child, rather than the three thousand year old dragon she actually was. An uneasy, nearly nauseous feeling overtook her, and she found herself leaning against Gandalf to keep from falling flat on her face. She both heard and felt Gandalf chuckle at this, and was tempted to shoot him a rude gesture. But she didn't. After all, who knows what an angry wizard can do to you when you're in a world you almost know nothing about.

"Are you alright, my dear?" He asked, humor laced his voice and she scowled. She nodded nonetheless and groaned quietly as her eyes squeezed shut. It took her a few moments, but she finally pushed herself gently from him and stood at her full height, standing almost two inches taller than Gandalf. But it was then she noticed that she wasn't clothed in the peasant skirt and tank top she'd been wearing when she'd found him on her property.

"Why am I dressed like a person from Medieval Times?" She asked, glancing at Gandalf confusedly. He gave her a small grin, but she could tell that he didn't exactly know what 'Medieval Times' was. If he had any questions, he didn't ask them. Or maybe he was saving them for later when he needed a good conversation starter. Either way, Loraeza didn't really care.

"I thought it best to not confuse the company any more than they already will be. However, I couldn't provide proper weapons seeing as I do not know what you prefer to fight with." He told her as he started to walk ahead down a small dirt path. Knowing she needed to keep up, Loraeza followed. Matching his long strides with her own, she shrugged at his explanation. It did make sense.

"I usually don't use a weapon. I use fire or I go all dragon on someone's ass. Or I just scare them away using both." She told him with a shrug, and he glanced up at her.

"You can control fire, you say?" He asked, suddenly intrigued. The woman could nearly see the cogs turning and clicking inside his mind at that new revelation.

"Yessir, I can. I can't be burned by it, and I can manipulate pretty well." Loraeza told him, then paused. An idea had come to her just then. "Do you think that should be my reason for officially joining the company? I mean... they could probably use someone who won't burn to a crisp if a dragon decides to breathe fire?" She paused. "Do dragons even breathe fire here?"

Gandalf nodded, and she could tell he was pleased. "Very well. But you best leave it to me to explain where you're from." He added as an afterthought. "And the answer to your question would be yes, they do breathe fire." At this, she simply saluted him and fidgeted. She was most definitely not used to the breeches and tunic she was wearing. While they weren't uncomfortable, they were foreign to her. She had grown used to dresses and skirts around the beginning of the twentieth century and unless she had to, she rarely ever wore pants or jeans. But she figured that if she was going to go on an adventure, a skirt might get in the way or she might end up flashing the rest of the company. That wouldn't be good.

They walked on a bit longer with Loraeza asking questions here and there about Middle Earth and Gandalf patiently answering them when she heard a loud shout from behind them. A bit startled, she whipped around to see who had interrupted their peaceful trek. It was odd. They were men, or male in the very least. But they were so… short. She nudged Gandalf and asked another question:

"Are all humans 'round these parts that short?" She asked, and he too stopped walking and turned to see the group of eight who had tried to get the duo's attention. He laughed, realizing who the men were.

"Of course not, my dear. Why, those are some of the dwarves!" He said joyfully. He did something she hadn't expected then. Instead of standing with her to wait for the dwarves to catch up, he turned around and started walking towards them. At first, Loraeza made a small sound f protest at being left on the moonlit path, but she could still see them, and hear what some of them said to him in greeting; not that she really cared to listen in on their 'hello's and 'nice to see you again's. It might have taken them ten minutes but soon enough the eight dwarves and Gandalf made their way to where she was on the road and she was met with both suspicious and curious stares.

Loraeza openly stared back at them. She'd never seen a dwarf before that moment. They hadn't existed in her world. She had come across humans who were dubbed as dwarfs or midgets due to their heights, but these men were something entirely different. _Miniature humans_, she thought with a smirk.

"Aye, the lass is a bit tall t'be a burglar, isn't she Gandalf?" One of the dwarves in a funny looking hat spoke up with his eyes trained on her. His words made her scoff in an unladylike fashion.

"I'm as much of a lass as Gandalf is a lad, thank you very much." She retorted, and a few of the dwarves chuckled, as well as the wizard.

"No, Bofur. This here is someone else entirely I have invited. This gentleman is the Lady Loraeza..." Gandalf paused with a few blinks before looking to the her. "What did you say your surname was, my dear?" She gave him a withering look.

"I never did." She deadpanned. At this, the wizard gave her a warning look, making her sigh. With a smile, she introduced herself. "Lady Loraeza Darkwynd, at your service." She told them and one by one, they all said their names.

There was Bofur, the one with the hat that had spoken to her first, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, who she thought might have been related to Bofur in some way if she could go by their names, Bombur, Dori, Nori, and a rather adorable looking named Ori who kept looking away from her every time she would fix her eyes on him.

Immediately she noted that they were rowdy. Not in the way that little boys were, nor in a way that was untamed and wild, but in the way where they just didn't care how most perceived them as they traveled on, laughing and carrying on as if they didn't have a care in the world.

And Loraeza found that she liked that a lot about them.

* * *

><p>It was Bofur who knocked on the green door. Most of the dwarves were either beside or behind him and Loraeza stood with Gandalf in the far back. The woman couldn't help but chuckle at the muffled '<em>Oh, no. No! There's nobody home. Go away, and bother somebody else. There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If this is someone's idea of a joke,<em>" The voice paused to laugh cynically. "_I can only say, it is in very poor_ taste-" The little man spoke as he opened the door, only to have eight dwarves topple over one another and to the ground in front of him, much to his surprise. That time, Loraeza openly laughed at the spectacle.

"Gandalf." He breathed, as if that answered every question. It was only when she stooped under the door and walked into the house after Gandalf did Bilbo notice her.

"Who are you?" He asked. Though it came out sounding a tad rude, Loraeza smiled at him and offered him a hand to shake.

"Lady Loraeza, at your service, Mister Baggins." She greeted him politely. The hobbit never had time to reply since he ran off to scold one of the dwarves who was doing something they weren't supposed to, she still muttered a small, 'nice to meet you too'.

The noise of the small burrow was nearly overwhelming with the chatter of the dwarves and Bilbo's pleas for them to stop filling the air. Dori, or, the dwarf who she thought was Dori, walked up to them both with a tray and a smile. She had no clue where he'd gotten the tray from, but assuming from the hobbit's annoyed expression, it was from the kitchen and was taken without permission from their host.

"Excuse me, Mr. Gandalf, Lady Loraeza, can I tempt either one of you with a nice cup of chamomile tea?" He asked sweetly, and Gandalf looked down at him with kind eyes.

"Oh, no thank you, Dori. A little red wine for me, I think." He said, and at the dwarf's questioning, she shrugged and took the tea from him. She could use the calming qualities it brought; her nerves were still on edge from traveling from her world to this one, not to mention the noise there. And to think she thought the Shire peaceful! Unfortunately for her, there was only about a sip in the tea-cup and she frowned at it in a longing way.

When Gandalf went to go count the dwarves, Loraeza caught sight of her host running into the dining room, and followed him between the scurrying dwarves. However, she found that she couldn't keep up with the frantic hobbit in the tight space so she took a seat in a far corner at the table that had been set.

"Hello Miss." A voice to her right spoke, and she snapped out of her thoughtful watch of the ruckus to look over at who had spoken.

An older dwarf with a long white beard smiled kindly at her, making her wonder how she hadn't seen him sitting there too. "Hi there. I don't believe you were one of the ones I met earlier?" She asked, letting the question hang between them.

"No, I suppose I wasn't. After all, I was the second to arrive. Balin, m'lady. At your service." He gave a slight bow of his head, and Loraeza smiled at the gesture. They did like their bowing and formalities, didn't they.

"Loraeza Darkwynd, at yours." She returned the gesture, just to be met with an interested dwarf staring back at her.

"Darkwynd? I can't say I've ever heard that particular family name."

"No, I doubt that you have." She replied coolly. Balin never got the chance to question her any further which was something she was grateful for. He had been interrupted before he could even start when the rest of the bunch joined them at the table, bringing a new meaning to utter chaos.

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><p>If anything, it was a good thing that Loraeza didn't find herself hungry at that time. In just a matter of minutes, she learned that if dwarves loved bowing and formalities, they loved food even more. Through the messy feast, there were rolls of bread tossed about and belching competitions going on. It was unorthodox and maybe a little gross, but it was worth it to be amused at the reaction of one particular hobbit.<p>

"Who're you?" A blonde dwarf at the end of the table finally noticed her through a mouth full of food; the braids in his mustache licked together when he saw her sitting there quietly between Gandalf and Balin. Loraeza just shrugged at him and smiled in a secretive way.

"A guest in Bilbo's home, like yourself." She said much to the amusement of Gandalf, who nudged her in the ribs at her comment. Of course, the dwarf had more questions for her, as did most of the rest of them. Gandalf spoke on her behalf before they could come at her with any inquiries they had.

"I do believe that any explanation would best wait until your leader arrives, so there is no confusion among you all." He stated.. Thankfully they took his word for what it was and just dug into their food.

It made her wonder just _who_ they were waiting for.

* * *

><p>By the end of dinner she had been asked who she was four times, what she was doing there three times, and if she was Bilbo's wife one time. The latter had been particularly amusing, seeing as Bilbo went red with embarrassment and quickly corrected Dwalin, who had asked.<p>

"Excuse me, that is a doily, not a dishcloth!" The voice of their frazzled host caught her attention and she craned her neck to see what he was fussing over now.

"But it's full of holes!" Bofur rebuked, holding said doily in his hands until Bilbo took it from him in a snippy manner.

"It's supposed to look like that, it's crochet."

"Oh, and a wonderful game it is too, if you got the balls for it."

She laughed a little at this comment, gaining attention of the dwarf who said it before he found the sausage Nori had draped around his shoulders. They played tug-of-war with it for a bit before her attention was grabbed by something else again; a plate whizzing by her head. It had confused her at first as to why there was flying dishes in the home, but when the dwarves started tossing items and breaking out into song, she got the jist of what had started.

_"Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

Somewhere in the house one of the merry dwarves had found an instrument, or had brought one along, she realized when she heard a tune strumming up to the lyrics.

_"Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door-"_

It was an amusing little tune, but what was truly amazing was how in sync the dwarves were with each other, all tossing around the items and cleaning them just so as if this was a normal occurrence!

_"Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you've finished, if any are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

Loraeza gave a laugh as Bilbo flew around the corner and to his surprise, not a one of his things were broken. Instead, they were all clean and neatly on the table until he took them back to the pantry where he kept them. That was when Loraeza, Gandalf, Bilbo, and the Company heard it; a knock on the door. In an ominous tone of voice, Gandalf locked eyes with a few of them before looking at her.

"He is here."

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><p>AN;

Welp, there's chapter two! What do you guys think? I know there was a lot of material from the film in this one; most specifically the scene with Bilbo and Gandalf, and the retelling of Erebor's fall. I felt like they needed to be put there to have the chapter come full circle. I would love to know how you guys feel about it so far, though!

By the way, how do you all feel about my end of chapter notes? Would you prefer them to be shorter or are they fine the way they are?

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><p><em>Special thank you to...<em>

**Telekinesis Fae**** Flamingsword** and **Furionknight **for reviewing!

Maybe if I get enough reviews I'll start answering them in these notes.

_Also thank you to those who put this story on their follow/favorites lists!_

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><p><em>next time on <strong>Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests<strong>..._

"Dragons don't die that easily, I'm afraid. Even as old as I'm sure Gandalf is. He would have to go looking for them all the time to kill hundreds. At great risk to his own health, too." She said, effectively silencing them and getting a grateful look from the wizard. Unfortunately, she also got a look from Thorin; though it wasn't as kind or warm.

"And what would you know of dragons, Lady Loraeza?" He asked coldly.

"I know more about them than you think, master dwarf. There's a very good reason that I know how I can withstand a dragon's flames."


	3. Playing With Fire

"Gandalf, who is 'he'?" Loraeza asked, but her question was ignored.. While everyone else there got up to greet the person who had knocked, she was left sitting alone at the table and Loraeza found the first real peace she'd had since she'd arrived in Middle Earth.

With the others gone, she rested her elbows against the table and breathed out heavily through her nose. The action caused one of the candles in the corner to go out, and she barely smiled. While she was excited at this new world she was glad of the fact that some things remained the same with her. It would be frightening if she'd discovered that she couldn't do what she previously could. After that thought though, she mentally kicked herself. Gandalf wouldn't have let her come without telling her something like that, would he? She wasn't missing anything important, was she? When the front door was open, she made a mental note to ask Gandalf if anything strange would end up happening to her before listening in on the conversation that was taking place in the greeting area.

From her spot, she could hear people greeting the newcomer who, of course, was a male.

"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way. Twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door." Said the man who she presumed was also a dwarf, and an important one at that.

"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!" Bilbo shouted, nearly in a panic.

"There is a mark; I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company. Thorin Oakenshield." Loraeza heard Gandalf's voice and quirked a brow.. What a regal name. What a regal voice. And, of course, the dwarf who had not only insulted Bilbo, but also walked through into the kitchen was even regal looking. But Loraeza herself thought she had him beat in that aspect. This Thorin wasn't the only one who could look intimidating just by walking into a room. She stood then, her hands falling to her sides.

The newcomer stopped when he saw her stand at his entrance, but she didn't say a word, and he only looked to Gandalf in confusion before giving her a lopsided smirk. "Does Master Baggins have a wife we weren't informed of?" He asked, making Bilbo go red and Loraeza roll her eyes.

"Oh, no, no, no. May I introduce the very last member of our Company. The Lady Loraeza Darkwynd." He introduced her and she nodded, not having anything to add at that moment and sat back down.

It was obvious that Thorin was neither amused nor interested at her being there, and when he sat down he made that annoyingly clear.

"I wasn't aware that we would have a female joining us. I thought we agreed on just the hobbit." Thorin directed his question at Gandalf, but managed to spare Loraeza a scathingly suspicious glance; one that she just smiled at. It was far more amusing to see his reaction to her brushing the somewhat offensive comment off than to get snarky with him. Before Gandalf could reply, the she spoke up much to everyone's surprise; after all, she had been rather silent through the largest portion of the entire night.

"But you are aware that plans do change, especially with journey's like your own?" Loraeza asked, meeting his gaze head on. Whether it was out of shock that she'd actually spoken to him in that way, or because he was annoyed that someone other than Gandalf had answered, Thorin paused with the first bite of food just inches away from his mouth. His gaze hardened into a glare that spoke his aggravation at her interruption. If she hadn't been more confident in her place, she would've felt like an unwanted bug at that moment, about to be squashed by the dwarf's wrath.

"I am. But I am also certain that a woman such as yourself will be of no use to us."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite." He responded dryly, starting to eat. That was when Gandalf decided to join in, sensing the brewing of clashing personalities between the two.

"Loraeza here has a very special talent. She can withstand fire all together. A trait that, if I'm not mistaken, could very well help in the reclaiming of your home." He said. Once again, every pair of eyes in the room were on her. She smiled at the attention, shrugging with a nod to confirm that Gandalf wasn't pulling any sort of trick on them.

"Can she?" Thorin mused, still watching her with a narrowed glare.

"She can. Would you like a demonstration, Lord Oakenshield?" Much to Gandalf's annoyance, Loraeza interrupted him before he could begin. Again. At the hint of a nod that the leader gave her, she smiled brightly and turned to the confused hobbit who had been standing behind behind Thorin the entire time.

"Mister Baggins, may I borrow one of your candles?" She asked him kindly. With a silent nod, the small fellow scampered off and she was left in the sights of the rest of the party, and a wizard, who had sat back in amusement.

When Bilbo came back with a lit candle, she took it from him with a 'thank you' and place it in front of her before looking around at the dwarves and settling her stare on Thorin, who had stopped eating to watch her. At first, she just used one hand; her right one. She let it rest just over the tip of the flame to show that she wasn't being scorched by the flickering heat. The tattooed dwarf that she'd learned was Dwalin scoffed at this display, interrupting her for a moment.

"Anyone can do that, lassie." He commented. Dwalin never had a chance to say anything further when she grinned up at him and willed the small flame to jump up and twine itself around her fingers slowly. The thin bright orange flame threaded in and out of them before snaking up her wrist and coiling up in her hand in a serpentine manner. Just to add a touch more flare, the fire suddenly reared higher and engulfed her entire hand in a large bright ball of fire.

There was a collective gasp from everyone when that happened. Everyone except for Gandalf of course, who couldn't really be surprised by her actions since he had expected it. With a smug smirk, she looked up at Thorin and blew gently on her hand and the flames went out as soon as they flared up, leaving just a wisp of smoke and her skin unburnt, just as it was before she'd toyed with the fire.. Gently she touched the blackened wick of the candle to light it again and pushed it to the center of the table.

"Was that enough?" She asked Gandalf, who nodded with a chuckle and muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'show-off' before she turned to Thorin to gauge his reaction.

* * *

><p>Thorin stared warily at this woman, this… she-devil who could bend the will of fire itself. Her display of power made him falter a little in his attitude, but it also brought about so many other questions. Who was she? What was she? Why had he never heard of any from the race of man do what she just did? Why did she want to go with them?<p>

Instead of asking any of those questions, his eyes moved to Dwalin, his closest friend, only to see the aged warrior staring at the Lady like she had grown three heads. He looked at Balin and caught the eyes of the aging warrior. Balin shrugged, apparently not knowing what to make of it either. The silence was only broken when, of course, Kili spoke up.

"That was amazing! Can you teach me how to do that?" Thorin wanted to roll his eyes in exasperation, and stifled a smirk at the looks of exasperation his youngest nephew got.

Loraeza only laughed and leaned forward to get a better look at Kili before replying; "I'm afraid it's not a talent to be learned, but a skill I was born with." She said, humor shining in her pale eyes.

"But how were you born with such a gift?" Thorin spoke then, setting his spoon down and rubbing his chin in thought. It would be useful, yes. Someone who could withstand Smaug's fiery breath. But could she be trusted with their secrets? Could she be trusted with their lives? There was something special about this woman. It wasn't the way she regarded him as an equal, or her arrogance that she obviously had in abundance. But it was something he couldn't quite place and that was what unsettled him.

"I just was. One of those freak occurrences, I suppose." She said, and suddenly found herself interested in a mug of ale that she hadn't previously touched. Thorin looked to Gandalf then, and got only a nod from the wizard. Surely if the great wizard Gandalf trusted her, so could he? Or, he could attempt to, in any case.

After another few minutes of tense silence, Thorin sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Balin. Do you have a spare contract with you?" He asked, getting an affirmative from the elder dwarf who quickly fetched it from inside the sleeve of his robe and handed it to the woman to read over. Thankfully she took it silently and sat back in her chair and seemed to stop paying attention to them as she looked over the piece of parchment.

It was then that he started eating again. After all, he had traveled a long ways and was practically famished from his journey. Dwalin chose that moment to speak up. "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" He asked, and Thorin inwardly cringed as he remembered the meeting he'd shared with the other lords.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms." He told his friends and family (along with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the woman). A quiet happy murmur went through the company at this news, but Thorin knew that their spirits would be deflated again once they found out how little help they were truly getting.

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?"

"They will not come. They say this quest is ours," The dwarven king said gravely, a brief look of sorrow clouding his already serious features. "—and ours alone."

* * *

><p>"You're going on a quest?" The now interested voice of Bilbo Baggins drew Loraeza's attention away from the entirely too long contract that she was trying to read. What did the hobbit think they were here for? Just dinner and a good old-fashioned family reunion?<p>

"Bilbo my dear fellow, let us have a little more light." Gandalf said, not catching the look of amusement she sent him. For a moment she entertained the idea of making the candles in the room go brighter. However it was important that she didn't scare them during their first meeting. After all, there would be plenty of times to have fun with the little tricks she could do.

Suddenly, she scooted back in her chair, making a scratching sound against the hardwood floor when Gandalf pulled a map out of his pocket and spread it out over the table before speaking.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak." He said, yet she could tell it was more for Bilbo and her own sake than for the dwarves, who surelyalready knew this.

"The Lonely Mountain." Bilbo read off the map over Thorin's shoulder, and Loraeza's lips twitched.

"Appropriately named." She commented, yet got only a slightly insulted stare from Thorin himself in return.

"Aye, Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Gloin spoke up.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end." Oin said with a firm nod, yet not a one noticed her tense up at the word 'beast'. Bilbo, who had studied the map from his spot suddenly looked up in fright at the mention of a beast.

"Uh, what beast?" He asked not so eloquently, and Bofur answered him, grinning all the while.

"Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age.

Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals." He said, and went to continue when Bilbo cut him off.

"Yes, I know what a dragon is."

And then, things in the room nearly exploded with shouts. It started with Ori standing up bravely and protesting that he would easily kill the dragon, only to have Dori tug him back down like a scolding mother hen. Then Balin went and made the true statement that it would be difficult considering they weren't the best or brightest; that was when all hell really broke loose. It only stopped when the oldest o the dwarf princes spoke.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last one!" Fili stood up, only to be followed by Kili, who brought it up that they had Gandalf with them.

"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company! Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." He claimed, making her freeze in her seat and her head snap up to stare at the wizard who looked uncomfortable.

"Oh, well now, uh, I-I-I- wouldn't say that, I-" He stuttered, looking from the dwarves to Loraeza awkwardly.

"How many then, give us a number!" One of the dwarves called, and Loraeza decided to speak up for the one person she actually thought of as a friend.

"Dragons don't die that easily, I'm afraid. Even as old as I'm sure Gandalf is. He would have to go looking for them all the time to kill hundreds. At great risk to his own health, too." She said, effectively silencing them and getting a grateful look from the wizard. Unfortunately, she also got a look from Thorin; though it wasn't as kind or warm.

"And what would you know of dragons, Lady Loraeza?" He asked coldly.

"I know more about them than you think, master dwarf. I learned long ago that I could withstand a dragon's flames." She told him as honestly as she could, but only got more curious stares.

"Have you ever killed a dragon, m'lady?" Ori piped up, and she smiled at him, a bit surprised that the shiest dwarf had spoken to her.

"No, Ori. It's impossible to fight fire with fire in that aspect. But I have come face to face with a few."

"I would like to hear these stories." Thorin rumbled, and she gave him a lopsided grin before placing a finger over her lips.

"You would let a lady keep her secrets, wouldn't you?" She asked, but got no humor from him as his response made her roll her eyes.

"No."

* * *

><p>Loraeza watched as Thorin turned back to his comrades with a serious demeanor. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look East to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?" He spoke, his voice rising with the passion of his speech.<p>

It made her want to roll her eyes. A dragon wouldn't just wither away or leave whatever treasure in that mountain. It was true, they were as greedy as they were lazy. This Smaug the Terrible had probably just taken a very long nap in between counting the jewels and coins.

Between the cheers of the dwarves, Balin spoke up. "You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." He pointed out, only for Gandalf to prove him wrong. Loraeza noted that he seemed to like doing that when he could.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." He said as he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a dwarvish looking key. Through all the wonderment of the dwarves, she speculated just how these men kept things safely in their sleeves, but was snapped out of that train of thought when Thorin asked Gandalf how he acquired such a key.

"If there is a key, there must be a door." Fili said, and Loraeza had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter at him stating the obvious.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf told them, and she leaned forward to get a better view of both the map and the key.

"There's another way in!" It was Kili this time who spoke.

"Well, if we can find it. But dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage." The wizened wizard looked onto the faces of the men looking back up to him as he spoke. "But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!"

It was then that Bilbo piped up again, not realizing their intentions with him just yet as he agreed with Ori. "Hm, a good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you one?" Gloin asked him, and Loraeza stifled a chuckle at the hobbit's expense as she saw the look of realization finally pass over his face.

"Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert, hey-hey!" Oin cackled, making all the others laugh and cheer as well. But poor Bilbo looked stricken. It almost made her feel sorry for him. Almost.

"Me? No, no, no, no, no! I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life!" He exclaimed and looked helplessly at Gandalf. Balin shook his head with a sigh, not believing that the gentle hobbit could do what they needed.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mister Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." He commented, to which Bilbo nodded pointedly, thankful that somebody agreed with him.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin agreed, and Loraeza noticed how he looked pointedly at her as well as Bilbo. She couldn't help but bristle at the fact that they just assumed she would be helpless. Bilbo, well, perhaps he would be helpless, that much was obvious. She figured he would learn as he went, though. He was bright enough to pick up a few skills here and there on their journey. But as for herself, she set her jaw sternly and glared back at him at the insinuation. Damn dwarf.

During this time, the dwarves had started to argue again, much to her displeasure. It finally made Gandalf angry enough to the point where he stood and shouted, a darkness growing in the room and making her cringe away from him. "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!" He exclaimed, letting his words sink in before sitting back down. When he did,the lights flickered brightly again, and he resumed talking. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." He explained to them all calmly, looking at every one of the dwarven men before settling his gaze on Thorin.

"You asked me to find the fourteenth member of our company, and I have chosen both Mister Baggins and Lady Darkwynd. There's a lot more to Mister Baggins than appearances suggest, and she is more than capable of handling herself in the hardest of situations." He claimed, though Loraeza had no clue if he was assuming this or somehow actually knew. "He's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself." The old wizard looked pointedly at Bilbo momentarily and then looked back at the dwarven king. "You must trust me on this."

* * *

><p>Thorin sighed. He didn't want either one of them coming along, but there was little he could do to change the wizard's mind and he had already had Balin give the lady a contract. "Very well. We will do it your way." He stated, ignoring the objections of the hobbit behind him to speak over at Balin. "Give him the contract." The king watched as the old dwarf shuffled to Bilbo and handed him a contract, noticing the growing panic in the halflings eyes.<p>

"It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, and so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the last of Balin's words, and Thorin fought off the urge to roll his eyes at the puny hobbit. His eyes then fell to the woman who was also watching Balin and Bilbo's interaction, but looked far more amused than he felt.

Thorin leaned back to speak with Gandalf. "I cannot guarantee his safety." He told the wizard solemnly.

"Understood."

"Nor will I be responsible for either one of their fates." He stated, and noticed that Loraeza's eyes snapped to him as he spoke. He had believed that he was speaking too quietly to hear, but apparently he hadn't been. Before Gandalf agreed though, she leaned forward and joined their small conversation without hesitance.

"You might be unwilling to help out the hobbit, Lord Oakenshield, but I will assume responsibility for us both." She all but hissed at him, shocking both him and from the way Gandalf's brows rose up, he was taken aback by her sudden loyalty to Bilbo. Thorin simply nodded and leaned back into his chair, finding sudden interest in the way Bofur was tormenting the little hobbit with a description of death by dragon fire.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." He exclaimed jovially, and Thorin could have sworn that Bilbo grew even paler and started breathing heavily.

"Mmm..." The little man mumbled before shaking his head when he couldn't compose himself. "Nope."

And then he promptly fell over in a faint.

"Ah, very helpful, Bofur." Gandalf mused disapprovingly as Loraeza got up with a harsh sigh to look at the dwarf who had talked to Bilbo.

"That was uncalled for, master dwarf." She told Bofur before stooping down to pick Bilbo up and disappeared into the sitting room where Thorin couldn't see her any more.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Bilbo. Wake up, now. You're damaging your masculine reputation here." Loraeza muttered as she set him up on a comfy looking chair beside his fireplace. At first, she got nothing from him, but then she simply took her fingers and flicked the end of his nose and he abruptly sat up and rubbed his face.<p>

"Hm? Yes. Yes. I'm all right. I'll be all right." He stated unsure of himself, and even more unsure of the fire-proof woman who'd come to his rescue when he'd collapsed. She just smiled at him and nodded before sitting back herself. That was when Gandalf came in with a mug of something and gave it to Bilbo.

"I'll be all right, let me just sit quietly for a moment." He told the wizard, and Loraeza took that as her cue to leave them to their conversation. She knew she'd made the right choice when Gandalf started openly scolding Bilbo for being quiet for too long.

The dragoness made her way through the home when she caught onto Thorin and Balin's conversation, which also felt too private for her to interfere in.

"Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that." The rumbling deepness of Thorin's tone affected her more than she cared to admit.

She had always been blessed with a home, a family, her abilities; but these men didn't have their home. Yet here she was, acting as a friend when in reality, she was probably a foe.

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><p><p>

_A/N;_

And there's chapter three, for you! I was going to wait a few more days to post this (and as a bonus I added in some slight Thorin POV bits!), but I might not have time in the middle of the week, so I was all, well no better time than the present! But I can safely say that the next chapter probably won't be out until... Thursday, Friday, or at the most; Saturday. _But_ if I get enough reviews I might be able to squeeze in a quick update a day early. You know, just saying. (don't judge me for being a review whore, we're all one at some point!)

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><p><em>Special thank you to...<em>

**Telekinesis Fae**** Flamingsword**, **HawkDramione**, **Eclaire Stones**, and **LeCustard **for reviewing!

_Also a **big** thank you to those who put this story on their follow/favorites lists!_

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><p><em>next time on <strong>Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests<strong>..._

"Do you think they're gonna randomly break out into song a lot on this adventure?" She questioned quietly, trying not to catch the attention of any of the serious dwarves. "I don't think that I could take the lot of them seriously if they do."

And from that, Bilbo cracked a half grin at her words. He too found it a bit odd how they'd broken out into a song during the evening they'd spent at his house. Hit grin fell though, when he realized what lie before them all.


	4. Of Adventuring and Bad Jokes

_"Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away, 'ere break of day_

_To find our long forgotten gold_

_The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches blazed with light."_

Loraeza settled herself onto the steps beside Bilbo, the two falling into a comfortable silence. They listening to the haunting tune that the dwarves sang. It was on the last verse that she turned to look at Bilbo, who looked back up at her, wondering why this woman had decided to sit with him in the first place.

"Do you think they're gonna randomly break out into song a lot on this adventure?" She questioned quietly, trying not to garner any attention. "I don't think that I could take the lot of them seriously if they do."

And from that, Bilbo cracked a half grin at her words. He too found it a bit odd how they'd broken out into a song during the evening they'd spent at his house. But his grin slipped away when he realized just how dangerous the path was that they were about to go on.

* * *

><p>The sun had just started to rise when Loraeza woke up. It was that dewy, new part of the morning where everything was so peaceful and nice, small part of her that wished she could just stay in the Shire for a bit longer. But she knew she couldn't. She also doubted that the dwarves and Gandalf wouldn't just let her stay behind, either. She had made a point to sign the contract in front of everyone, proving that Thorin's cold demeanour didn't mean anything to her.<p>

After she miraculously made her way through the living room without stepping on any sleeping dwarves, she opened the door quietly and slipped outside. Just as she expected, there was no one in sight, since most hobbits were still asleep, and no one else would be wandering around the hills at this early hour.

One by one, the dwarves came venturing out of the home, each one greeting her with a nod or a tired 'good morning' as they passed her and readied the saddles on their ponies. When Balin passed her though, she rose from the on the bench right outside of Bilbo's hobbit hole that she had settled down on, took a few steps forward,and stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Will you leave the contract for Bilbo where he can see it?" She asked the dwarf.

"I don't believe he'll take it, Lady Loraeza. I'm afraid our burglar was frightened off last night." He told her gravely. She shook her head in persistence, not moving her hand and not letting him walk off.

"No. I think he'll come. Just leave the contract. What will it hurt?" She asked, giving him a look.

After a few moments when they'd gotten the attention of a few curious stares, he relented and gave her Bilbo's contract and told her to put it where she saw fit. "Thank you, Balin." Loraeza said and darted back into the hole to put the parchment on the table so it could wait for Bilbo.

"Loraeza, my dear. I'm afraid you'll have to ride with me until we can acquire you a horse of your own." Gandalf told her when she walked back out, and she frowned a the creature he was sitting up on.

"I'd rather just walk." She stated plainly, and Gandalf chuckled.

"I believe you would tire before we reached the end of the Shire. Come." He said and offered her a hand. With a weary sigh she took it and swung herself up onto the horse to sit in front of Gandalf.

"I really don't like horses. They're bothersome." She told him, but got no reply.

"We're off!" Came the shout from Thorin in the very front, and all of them started to move.

* * *

><p>It was only a few hours later when the hobbit woke up from his fitful slumber. The moment he woke up, he did like he always had after a night's rest; stood up, stretched, and looked at the clock on his wall. It seemed as if he had forgotten the complete ruckus that was last night, but then he remembered. It was also entirely too quiet in his home. That was either very good, or it was very bad; which one though, Bilbo wasn't entirely sure of.<p>

It took him a few minutes to hop downstairs after he'd gotten dressed. The house might've been silent, but that barely meant anything to him. For all he knew, the dwarves could still be sleeping on his floor!

But that wasn't the case. There was no one but him in the hobbit hole and, much to his surprise, he was a little disappointed at that fact. By all rights, he should have been thrilled that the company left him in peace! So why was he suddenly full of regret?

It only took one glance at the contract that had been laid out on his table to make him realize what he wanted to do.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Mr. Bilbo! Where are ya off to?!" The surprised voice of Bilbo's neighbors barely reached his ears after he bolted up the main path that led through the Shire. He'd jumped over a fence, some pumpkins, and damn near knocked over old Mrs. Brownfoot, but he didn't stop to see if she was alright; she always had been a rather nasty woman.<p>

"Can't stop! I'm already late!" The jittery hobbit shouted over his shoulder, a bright grin starting to form on his face.

"Late for what?"

"I'm going on an_ adventure_!"

* * *

><p>"Look, I'm not saying that I don't appreciate you sharing your horse with me, Gandalf. In fact, I would have been insulted if you hadn't." Loraeza said, and had been trying to get out of riding the animal the entire time they slowly cantered up the road. "But, I am an extremely good walker. In fact, if I had to, I could probably walk all the way to The Lonely Mountain!" She said.<p>

"Why would you have to do that?" Kili piped up, a frown on his face.

"There's a perfectly good horse, and Gandalf's a good rider. I wouldn't take it for granted, Lady Loraeza." Fili said, putting his two cents in and she frowned deeply before leaning back on the wizard and saying something else, so low that only he could hear.

"I could probably be there within a week if I could fly there, too." She huffed slightly, earning a reprimanding nudge in the side from him.

"Wait! Wait!"

They all heard a loud shout from behind them, and almost simultaneously all of the horses were stopped by their riders. Loraeza grinned a knowing grin, and turned around to look at the hobbit who was currently sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him to catch up. She watched as he gave her a breathless smile and walked over to Balin, handing him the contract, which, she assumed he had signed.

"I signed it!"

Balin beamed at the little man and took the contract willingly before pulling out an eye glass to inspect it, just as he had with Loraeza's. "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He stated jovially, making some of the dwarves cheer.

"Give him a pony." Thorin demanded, giving Bilbo one last unimpressed stare before starting to ride again and poor Bilbo suddenly looked faint.

"No, no, no, no, that... that won't be necessary, thank you. I-I'm sure I can keep up on foot." Bilbo stuttered, and Loraeza scoffed.

"Don't try it, lil man. I already have." She said to him, though he wasn't listening so much as he was still rambling. That is, until Bofur and Fili picked him up by the collar and set him on a pony that Kili had led up behind him. It was an amusing sight to anyone except Bilbo and Thorin.

Loraeza looked up at Gandalf suddenly. "Why wasn't I given my own pony?" She asked, furrowing her brow.

"Would you have taken it?" He asked lightly, already knowing the answer.

"Nevermind." She grumbled, eyes cast to the side to watch Bilbo struggle with the reigns and tried to ignore Gandalf's silent laughter.

* * *

><p>Sometime after a few of the dwarves had collected their gambling winnings that they'd won when Bilbo actually did show up, and after Bilbo's minor melt down at the fact that, god forbid, he'd forgotten his handkerchief, they found a good pace to ride along with. A handful of the dwarves were taking in the lush green sights, while some where chatting with each other.<p>

Then of course there was Thorin who was determinedly staring at the path as they trotted along as if it had done him some great injustice.

It wasn't their road that bothered him. It was the two additional members that Gandalf had brought along that made him uneasy. A woman and a hobbit, both of which were his responsibility, despite the fact that he'd told Gandalf that they weren't so. It was infuriating to lean on such people, especially for the fact that one of them made his skin crawl.

Behind him, he could hear the loud voice of Kili shout out suddenly, followed by the laughter of Loraeza and some other members of the company. As much as he wanted to see what had transpired, he kept his eyes firmly glued to the scenery before him like a petulant child.

Stupid women. Stupid hobbits. Stupid wizards. None of this would end well.

* * *

><p>It was way past dark when they had decided to settle in for the night near a cliff's edge. It wasn't an uncomfortable spot, and it was actually pretty compared to the places Loraeza was sure they'd be staying before their journey was over. She stretched out, her back against the rock that she'd laid by for the night. After a short meal and they had all gotten settled into the spots they deemed as their own, one by one, most of the dwarves fell asleep. Soon the only ones who were awake were Loraeza, Balin, Gandalf, Kili, Fili, and Bilbo; who, at that moment, was quietly feeding apples to a pony.<p>

That was when he heard a screech somewhere in the distance.

"What was that?!" He nearly yelped, stumbling over himself to settle in beside Kili and Fili.

"Orcs." Kili said solemnly. Loraeza raised a brow at him, also noticing that Thorin's eyes snapped open.

"Orcs?"

"Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." Fili added, and Loraeza looked over at Gandalf, a look of worry overtaking her features momentarily when Kili spoke up again.

"They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone's asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood." And Bilbo's face went ashen, as did Loraeza's for a split second; that is until the brothers started laughing to themselves. Those little shits.

Loraeza had just opened her mouth to reprimand them when their uncle cut in with a growl. "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" He all but hissed in complete seriousness and his nephews suddenly looked contrite and ashamed with themselves. As they ought to be, Loraeza mused quietly.

"We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world." He replied harshly and stomped over to the edge of the cliff to look out over the valley. It seemed as if he actually was expecting an attack now that someone brought it up. The small group was cast in an awkward silence when Balin piped up from his spot.

"Don't mind him, laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs." He started, and Loraeza couldn't tell which 'laddie' he was speaking to, but she pulled her knees up to her chest as she listened to his tale.

* * *

><p><em>"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."<em>

* * *

><p><em>"Moria had been taken by legions of orcs led by the most vile of their races; Azog the Defiler. The giant Gundabad orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the king."<em>

* * *

><p><em>"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us."<em>

* * *

><p><em>"That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc."<em>

* * *

><p><em>"He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield."<em>

* * *

><p><em> "<em>_Azog the Defiler learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken."_

* * *

><p><em>"Our forces rallied and drove the ocs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song that night. For our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived."<em>

* * *

><p><em> "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call king."<em>

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><p>She listened to Balin's tale. It was a chilling one, to say the least. Loraeza could feel the heat from the fire on her skin, and hear the battle cries of the dwarven men in her head as she envisioned the bloody battle that they had fought; it unsettled her. Before she could ask a question that had been nagging at her since Fili and Kili first started the entire conversation, Bilbo asked his own question.<p>

"But the pale orc? What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." Thorin answered for Balin, and every open eye on the cliff was cast in his direction again, as if they were realizing that he was still there. But no one caught the grim look shared between Gandalf and Balin.

A few more moments passed and Loraeza finally decided to speak up;

"So... is anyone going to tell me what the _hell_ an orc is?"

* * *

><p>Little did any of them know that just across the valley there was another campsite; a much dangerous one full of wargs and orcs who had their eyes trained on the company of dwarves. One orc, who looked to be the leader of their group turned to another who was also sitting on a large warg and spoke in a harsh yet commanding language that sounded like a mixture of grunts and hisses to the untrained ear.<p>

"Send word to the Master. We have found the Dwarf-scum."

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><p><em>AN;_

First off, you guys are fucking great. The amount of feedback I got from the last chapter was genuinely appalling! Also, I would like to point out that, yes, Loraeza is from what we would know as "our" world. But the works of J.R.R. Tolkien don't exist at all. I feel like if they did, she would have read them several times over and be all "oh yeah this is supposed to happen, this happens here, and oh, isn't your beard supposed to be blue?" like the shit she is. I dunno if anyone was confused, but just to be clear, I thought I'd point it out. Any way! There's chapter four, I hope you all enjoyed it. I dunno when I'll be able to update again. Maybe before Christmas, maybe after. It all depends on my schedule. Happy Holidays, everybody!

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><p><em>Special thank you to...<em>

_Those who put this story on their follow/favorites lists!_

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><p><em><strong>And now to reply to your reviews...<strong>_

Eclaire Stones — _Shhhh!_ That's actually a very good idea, you know. It would certainly knock out so much aggravation later. But I do have plans for that particular adventure, so where would be the fun in just having her burning it up? Besides, who says that her fire is even strong enough to! We'll just have to see, won't we. :P

Azukia — Thank you so much for your sweet review! I'm glad you think I did Thorin justice. To be frank, he's one of the hardest characters I've ever had to write for. Such a stubborn little dwarf, haha. I hope you continue to read and enjoy the fic!

loveredhairedshanks and LeCustard — Here's the update you were both waiting for! Thanks for reviewing!

LilithiaRW — Haha, yes. Very sassy dragoness. It'll probably end up getting her in trouble later, don't you think? :P Thanks for reviewing!

Sarcastic Irony — First off, I loved all _three_ of your reviews. They were so well thought out and nice! I loved that little surprise, I hadn't expected anyone to review as much as you did. And yes, there aren't many fics where people are concerned with Smaug. But I, for one, love him! I feel like there's a whole story with him to be explored, but unfortunately I will be sticking to canon and we won't get _too_ much Smaug time. The older dwarves are indeed very suspicious of her, but I she will get along with a few of the dwarves (and Bilbo!) for certain. I love the name Loraeza. Originally it was going to be Lorena, but it somehow morphed into what she's now called. And her surname was the hardest part of her name. I like to think I did well, though! But to answer your question: Yes. She will use a weapon or two when she has to, but she'll also rely on her powers quite a lot. Being the age she is, she does already have some skill with swords, but who knows, maybe she'll enlist Kili to help her with a bow? (Or Legolas could help her, we'll see!)

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><p><em>next time on <strong>Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests<strong>..._

"_Elves?_ There are elves here too?" She finally broke her silence and looked up at Gandalf. "You never said anything about _elves_!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. Thorin looked at her in disgust and puzzlement.

"How do you not know the beings you share this world with, might I ask?" He inquired darkly, stepping towards her. She looked at him coolly, realizing the mistake she had made.

"No. You may not ask."


	5. About Elves and Secrets

The next morning was uneventful. Thorin had yet to say anything to neither Fili, Kili, or Loraeza that morning, which annoyed her. She didn't give a damn about the fact that he wasn't speaking to her; in all honesty, she would rather he wouldn't. It always led to her wanting to strangle the little guy. But as far as she could see, the other two Durin's were truly sorry for joking as they did. . After she'd rolled up the blanket she had borrowed from Dori, she tucked it under her arm and made her way to Fili and Kili. The two hadn't noticed her when she walked up to them.. But she cleared her throat and leaned against a rock to catch their attention.

"So is Thorin always this pissy in the morning, or is he just that good at holding grudges?" She asked them. Fili frowned up at her.

"Pissy?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Angry. Is he always this angry. Or grumpy,Broody; whatever you want to call it. He's angst personified." She commented, and Kili cracked a small smile at her humor.

"We shouldn't have joked with Bilbo about orcs. It was wrong and they're not funny." He said solemnly, schooling his features into a contrite expression. Of course, he made sure to say this as soon as Thorin walked by so he would hear. Loraeza rolled her eyes.

"Better than joking about a dragon, right?" She asked and the two young dwarves paused to think about it before smirking at each other with a nod. "Right. So..." She trailed off and caught glimpse of Bilbo. "Good talking to ya both. Don't joke about dragons or orcs any more you hooligans." She chuckled and ruffled Kili's hair as she passed them by.

"And how did you sleep, Loraeza?" She was pulled away from her path by Gandalf.

"Just peachy. Haven't slept on the ground in ages. It was more difficult to sleep because of the snoring, though." Lora told him, catching a few disapproving glances from some of them, to which she just grinned and waved at the ones who'd given her the looks before turning back to Gandalf. "What about you?"

"Oh, I slept just fine. I was thinking, though."

"That can't be good for me."

"I was thinking that today you could ride with Bilbo. He does seem to need help with his pony, the thing's bigger than he is!" He laughed and Loraeza snorted.

"I think that everyone's smaller than their horses, Gandalf. Minus you and me, of course." She said before leaning back to look over at Bilbo who hadn't been paying attention to anyone else. "Yo Bilbo!" She called, making him jump and look up at her with wide eyes.

"Yes Lady Darkwynd?"

"What do you think of me riding with you today? I can handle the monstrous beast better than you can, I bet." Bilbo looked affronted at her words, but amazingly, not for himself.

"A pony is not a monstrous beast, miss." He scolded and stood up before pausing. "But I would appreciate the help."

"Great, it's decided then." She clapped her hands twice and turned back to Gandalf with a smirk. "Sorry darling, it's not you... it's me. How can I deny Bilbo's roguish charm?" She asked, laughing loudly when Bilbo made a sound of indignation, blushing hotly.

* * *

><p>"Lady Loraeza! Can you do anything about this storm?"<p>

Loraeza looked up at the dwarf that had called back to her. She was a little put out by the downpour. If it had been just a little rain, she wouldn't care at all. Drizzle was one thing, a cold storm was another. She looked down at Bilbo who was tucking himself snugly into her, and she smiled. If there was one moment where she was happy for her abnormally high body heat, it was now. The little hobbit looked half drowned.

"What am I supposed to do, Dori? Burn the water away?" She called up, rolling her eyes when she never got a reply from him. Of course then he called up to Gandalf. Dori, apparently, didn't like the rain any more than Loraeza.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?"

She leaned down to speak to Bilbo. "I don't think he like the rain, Mr. Baggins." She stated plainly, and he shook slightly from silent laughter.

"It's raining, Master Dwarf! And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard!" Gandalf replied, much in the same tone Loraeza had. Bilbo though, perked up and sat forward.

"Are there any?"

"What?"

"Other wizards?" He clarified for Gandalf. Loraeza too found herself leaning forward to hear Gandalf's reply. She hadn't thought about the possibility of other wizards in Middle Earth, but it made sense that Gandalf wasn't the only one.

"There are five of us-" He began, but Loraeza cut him off.

"Only five? For the whole of Middle Earth?" She asked incredulously. But she was shushed by Bilbo.

"The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know... I've quite forgotten their names." The wizard continued on and Bilbo looked amused.

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

Bilbo nodded once, seeming to take this information in before saying something that made Lora quite literally laugh out loud. "Is he a great wizard, or is he.. more like you?"

"Bilbo that's just rude." She cackled quietly at Gandalf's offended glance back at the hobbit.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way! He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing, too. For always evil will look to find a way in this world." Gandalf told them gravely, and Bilbo looked up at Loraeza, going a little pale. She just shrugged.

"He sounds like a hippie wizard to me."

* * *

><p>After another hour of rain, the company was left soaking wet. Joyfully, it had stopped pouring down and settled into a slow drizzle. And then, the rain stopped all together.<p>

"It's about damn time." Loraeza sighed and leaned back to wring out her hair. Bilbo craned his neck to try to see what she was doing.

"May I ask a question?"

"Isn't that what you just did?" Bilbo pursed his lips and she laughed, sitting up straight again. "Go on, Bilbo."

"Why aren't you shivering from the cold? You're so... warm!" He exclaimed. Not that he was complaining, he was glad that she had decided to ride along with him that day. But it was very curious. Apparently some of the dwarves thought so too, if he could judge by the way some of them leaned forward in their saddles to hear her answer.

"I control fire. Fire is warm. I'm naturally very warm." She responded with a shrug. "Also can't get sick." Lora tacked on, pleased with herself. The common cold seemed to be a pain in the ass.

"That's unfair!" Ori, who was bundled up in what looked to be a humongous layer of knitted attire exclaimed.

"Not so much unfair as lucky." Bilbo corrected gently.

"Do you have any weaknesses, Lady Darkwynd?" The suspicious voice of Dwalin cut in and Loraeza shrugged.

"Yep."

"And what would those be?" Fili butt in, and Loraeza chuckled.

"I'm not sure I trust any of you enough just yet." She said and pointed at Ori with a grin. "Especially that one. Mean ol' thing you look like. Why, if I were a younger woman, I'd be quaking in fear at your brawn." She joked. Luckily, Ori's brothers got the joke and started laughing, clapping Ori on the back as they passed by. Dwalin however, wasn't so amused.

"You'll tell us before long, lassie. We don't take kindly to secrets." He warned her and made way to ride up to Thorin.

* * *

><p>"Oh, god. What is that smell?" Lora exclaimed the moment they arrived at the place Thorin thought they should camp out.<p>

"What smell?" Bilbo asked, confused, and she just shook her head with a sour face.

"Smells like death and rotten sewage." She mumbled, making her way to where Gandalf and Thorin were.

"A farmer and his family used to live here." Gandalf mused, but was ignored by Thorin. He just kept barking orders at his men, obviously ignoring Loraeza as well. That didn't bother her as much as the smell around this place did.

"I think it would be wiser to move on. We could make way for the Hidden Valley." The wizard tried again, and this time got Thorin's attention. There was so much hostility in his eyes that Lora nearly wanted to take a step back from the smaller man.

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place." He snapped at Gandalf. More than anything, the dragoness wanted to pipe up and ask what the Hidden Valley was, but something told her that the dwarf king might just try to run her through with his sword if she did. He really was a moody little shit.

"Why not? The elves could help us! We could get food, rest, advice."

"Elves? There are _elves_ here too?" She finally broke her silence and looked up at Gandalf. "You never said anything about elves!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. Thorin looked at her in disgust and puzzlement.

"How do you not know the beings you share this world with, might I ask?" He inquired darkly, stepping towards him. Loraeza straightened to her full height and challenged him.

"You may not." She snapped and sauntered off, mentally cursing herself. Gandalf wouldn't be happy. Thorin certainly wasn't happy. She should have just stayed silent and asked later. But elves, too? That was something she would've liked to be informed of. Especially depending on the kind of elf! They were all in her world in the popular media, but there was no telling what Middle Earth's elves were like!

"Everything alright?" Bilbo's voice cut into her thoughts. For a moment, she thought he was speaking to her, but then she looked up to see Gandalf stalking off angrily. "Gandalf, where are you going?" The hobbit asked a question again. Lora wasn't sure what had gone on between Gandalf and Thorin after she'd stepped off, but it was apparently nothing good, judging by the way the dwarf was glaring at the back of the angry wizard.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."

"Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins!" Gandalf snapped, and Loraeza blinked. "I've had enough dwarves for one day." He finished before pausing and looking directly at her, a gleam in his eye that was none too happy. "Loraeza. Come with me."

Immediately, she was on her feet and walked up to him. "Does this mean I have sense?" She asked lightly, but quickly shut up when she heard his answer.

"No."

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><p>Loraeza and Gandalf walked side by side in silence for half an hour. She wanted to ask him so many things that she couldn't before, but since he was obviously still annoyed with Thorin, the dwarves, and probably her, she kept her mouth shut. For now. The only noises that could be heard was the soft 'clump' of Gandalf's staff against the ground mixed with their footsteps and the general sounds of wildlife.<p>

That is, until Gandalf started talking to her.

"I believe you ought to tell them the truth."

She blinked once. Then again. And once more as she stopped walking all together. "What?!" She exclaimed. "They'll string me up and use me as a piñata! I can't tell them the truth. Are you crazy?!"

"Not the part about you being a dragon, Loraeza. The fact that you're from a different world." He sighed tiredly, looking deflated. She looked down at her feet before glancing up at him.

"Won't that make them more suspicious?"

"And you believe being appalled whenever you hear about something you aren't used to will not?" He asked, giving her a pointed look and she grimaced. She had entirely expected that; she deserved it, too.

"Not my finest moment, I'll admit." Lora mumbled, fumbling with her hands. Since they were stopped, she decided to sit on a fallen log that was a little bit off their path. "I just—this place... it's so— different!" She tried to explain, watching as Gandalf leaned on his staff and started peering back at her. "In an amazing way, of course." She corrected herself. "But I'm old, ancient by the standards of people where I come from. I thought I'd seen everything, and done even more. But now I'm— I feel like a _kid_ who knows nothing." Loraeza shrugged, giving him a half smile. "And I really do know to nothing when it comes to Middle Earth."

"I'm afraid I must apologize, then." He finally told her. She frowned up at him from her spot. "I never did tell you the full extent to coming here, nor did I explain what you could expect."

"You said there wasn't enough time. It's as much my fault as it is yours." She sighed and pursed her lips. From where he stood, Gandalf could tell she had a large question rolling around on her tongue, but he waited for her to ask. "You're not gonna be able to get me home, are you."

It came out as a statement, rather than a question. Before she even asked, she already knew the answer. Travelling between worlds was a great task. Gandalf, while he was an amazing wizard and none too shabby with magic, still was just an ordinary wizard. Even if he was willing, could she ask him to perform magic that was beyond him a second time?

"I can try. But I might not be able to open the portal a third time." He walked over to where she sat and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "But I will do my best when the time is right."

"Great. So again, I'm an immortal being stuck in a place where I'll outlive everything." She huffed and stood up.

"That's not entirely true. Elves are just as immortal as you and I." Gandalf told her.

"What do you mean elves are immortal?" She asked, her eyes widening. "What do you mean you're immortal? You—" With a heavy sigh, she threw her hands up in the air. "Things I need to know, Gandalf! How can you expect me to survive in this place without knowing essential things like elves and immortal beings!"

"I will make a mental note to tell you more things later, but as for now...We might as well be off to see what our friends are up to. I have a feeling that they might be needing our help, and it would do well to get some rest back at the camp."

"But it smells bad there. Like... garbage that's been left out too long, or something that's died up under the house. It reeks, really."

"Hmm..."

"Hmm? What's hmm?"

"Nothing, let us be off!"

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour and a half later, Gandalf and Loraeza made their way back to the camp. There was still a fire crackling in a pit with a blackened pot hanging over it. Around the fire there were objects that had been discarded and left behind, sleeping arrangements were a little further off, and there were even Ori's writing tablets to the side. But no dwarves were to be seen. Nor were there any trace of the hobbit.<p>

"Well, where the hell did everyone go?" She asked, turning to Gandalf. But he was gone too. "God dammit!"

That's when she heard a shout off in the distance. Faster than was humanly possible, she took off in the general direction of the loud voices. She eventually came to a skidding halt in the trees when she saw Bilbo standing on a large rock wearing... a sack? He was talking to someone, or something, rather. A big ugly something, too.

"Ferret?" He questioned in an offended, yet confused tone. While one of the massive creatures looked equally offended.

"_Fools?!_"

Loraeza walked quietly up behind Bilbo just as Gandalf appeared behind the trolls. "The dawn will take you all!"

"Who's that?"

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?" The beast questioned just before the rock Gandalf had been standing on was split in half, the rays of morning sunshine pouring out and, amazingly, the creatures turned to stone. It was then that Loraeza decided to jump up on the stone behind Bilbo, and put her hand on his shoulder, nearly scaring the life out of him.

"My goodness Loraeza!" He breathed, almost falling from his spot. She didn't say anything, but moved her hand off of him in disgust, wiping it on her pants.

"_Gross_. What the hell are you covered in?"

"Oh, get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin's voice carried over to them, and she finally noticed the state of the dwarves.

And, instead of rushing to help them out of the sacks they were all in, she suddenly doubled over and started laughing.

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><p><em>AN;_

Ahhhh! I meant to update a day or so ago but damn, the holidays are stressful! Any way, here's a new chapter for you all, and I hope y'all had a merry Christmas (or just a good day, if you don't celebrate anything).

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><p><em>Special thank you to...<em>

_Those who put this story on their follow/favorites lists!_

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><p><em><strong>And now to reply to your reviews...<strong>_

Emo steve — I approve of this review. Carry on.

LeCustard — Everything will happen in good time, my friend. You can count on that. ;)

loveredhairedshanks — I do have a few flashbacks planned out already. I just have yet to write/put them into the story. Thanks for reviewing!

Sarcastic Irony — I'm so glad you appreciated that bit of humor there. It was honestly my favorite line from that chapter because I loved how the dwarves were "oh yes we're here on a super srs mission— but first, _a song!_" Lmao. I have yet to see BotFA but I really, really want to. (Even though I know it'll make me cry like a little bitch.) Thank you for reviewing!

LilithiaRW — Here's the next chapter! ^~^ I'm glad you like Loraeza and her sarcasm.

Telekinesis Fae Flamingsword — Here ya go, next chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Eclaire Stones — Thorin is a stubborn guy, but who knows— maybe he'll warm up to her in the future? Yes, elves will be here soon! Not in this chapter, sadly. But _soon_, my friend. And yes, she definitely needs a "Middle Earth for Dummies" book!

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><p><em>next time on <strong>Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests<strong>..._

"He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that." At this, Thorin nodded slightly and locked his eyes on Loraeza. She was just across from him, helping Ori find his other boot and to him, it looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

"And what was so important that you had to speak with the woman in private?" He asked. Gandalf immediately sensed the thoughts that were running through the king's head, and his next words came out a bit harsher than intended.

"She has her secrets, Thorin. But so does everyone. In her own time, you will know. And mistreating her does nothing to help!"


	6. Hippie Wizards & Smelly Caves

Thorin glared at Loraeza. It had been half an hour since he'd gotten free from the sack - with the help of Gandalf, of course - and he was working on finding the rest of his belongings and making sure everyone was alright. For someone who could have easily helped them out (or so the wizard insisted) so far all the woman had done was laugh at them and their predicament. It annoyed him to no end.

"Where did you go to, if I may ask?" He spoke to Gandalf, walking up to the wizard after retightening his belt and sticking a dagger in his boot for safe measure.

"To look ahead."

"What brought you back?" Gandalf stopped his pacing and checking on the dwarves.

"Looking behind. Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece." He stated, nodding to the dwarves who were either bickering or trying to brush off the fact that they had been out-smarted by three trolls. Most were doing both.

"No thanks to your burglar." Thorin grumbled, and Gandalf's gaze snapped down to the dwarf. He frowned at Thorin and with a huff, reprimanded him gently.

"He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that." At this, Thorin nodded slightly and locked his eyes on Loraeza. She was just across from him, helping Ori find his other boot and to him, it looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

"And what was so important that you had to speak with the woman in private?" He asked. Gandalf immediately sensed the thoughts that were running through the king's head, and his next words came out a bit harsher than intended.

"She has her secrets, Thorin. But so does everyone. In her own time, you will know. And mistreating her does nothing to help!" The wizard told him, lifting a brow in annoyance, daring Thorin to rebuke his words as he half expected him to do.

Instead, Thorin just turned to study the mountain trolls, which were statues instead of alive. "Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?" He asked gravely.

"Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands." Gandalf replied and Thorin immediately looked up at him at his next words, the two sharing a meaningful look. "They could not have moved in daylight."

"There must be a cave nearby."

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><p>"Oh, what's that stench?!" Nori exclaimed from behind Loraeza, and she briefly turned to look back at him.<p>

"Are you honestly just now smelling it?" She asked, genuinely surprised that it took fighting- or in the dwarves' case, trying to fight- trolls and finding their cave of treasure to actually start to sniff out the reek they left behind.

"Aye, lass." He mumbled, eyes set on the inside of the cave, which she could tell already had a fair amount of treasures and odd things.

"There is not a snowball's chance in hell that I'm going in there. Nuh uh, fuck that shit." The dragoness said stubbornly and stopped in front of the entrance, eyeing the cave warily.

"Ye ain't scared of a little dark cave with cobwebs, are ya?" Dwalin asked with a laugh, passing by her. Loraeza glared at him sharply, and huffed.

"No, I'm not Dwalin. But it wasn't in my contract that I have to go into a dank, smelly, disgusting troll cave. Therefore, I'm not."

"Aye, of course." Came the sarcastic reply as she was left outside of the place with Bilbo coming up along the back.

"If you're not going, then I don't believe I will either." He said, and she looked down at him. A small grin was shared between the two when they heard some of the dwarves make remarks about making some sort of deposit, that is, if they could get their words out between coughs and retches at the foul odor of the cave.

The few dwarves who had gone inside slowly started to trickle out soon after, much to Lora's pleasure. Despite the immediate threats in the area having been eradicated, the entire place still gave her an uneasy feeling. From where she had sat, she watched Gandalf walk out, stooping when he came to the entrance of the cave, and saw him head straight for Bilbo who was sitting beside her.

"Bilbo." She nudged him, and he looked up to see Gandalf holding a little sword, presumably

"Hmm?"

"Here. This is about your size." Gandalf told him, passing the sword to the hobbit who looked uneasy with it in his hands. Loraeza craned her neck a little to get a better view of the thing; it was nicely made, that much she could tell, but she had never really been too fond of swords.

"I can't take this." He stuttered, making a motion to hand the blade back to Gandalf with unease, but Gandalf didn't reach back to take it. He shook his head instead.

"The blade is of Elvish make," He started, taking notice in the hobbit's confused look, and Loraeza's interested one. "which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby."

"A built in bad guy detector, that'll come in handy Bilbo." Loraeza finally spoke up, nudging the hobbit gently with her elbow and a smirk. Bilbo however, didn't look as amused.

"I have never used a sword in my life." He stated plainly, to which Gandalf nodded.

"And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one." Came the sage reply from the wizard.

Lora nodded when Gandalf spoke. For a moment, she had nearly forgotten how wise he was. Or, perhaps that would have been wording it wrong. Ever since she came into Middle Earth, she had been hopping from confused to astonished when she was met with all the new information, and Gandalf had been the outlet for her to ask questions. She knew that wisdom and intelligence was rarely the same thing; yet the wizard possessed both. And if she were honest, Loraeza was just a little jealous of that fact. Plus, he could do magic, which was extremely, undeniably, bad ass.

"Don't worry Bibs. I'm sure one of the dwarves can teach you." She said, giving the hobbit a gentle squeeze on his shoulder. The wide eyed hobbit quickly looked at her, as if that idea terrified him.

Though, to be fair, it probably did. They were rather violent.

Loraeza never had a chance to make a remark when, just beyond them, she heard the thumping of quick, running footsteps. She never had time to voice it though, when Thorin called (well, growled) out; "Something's coming!"

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><p>Almost immediately everyone was on their guard. Gandalf's grip had tightened on his staff as he pushed his way to the front of the group, and Loraeza even noticed that Bilbo had unsheathed his sword; briefly, she thought of telling him to put it away, since he was liable to hurt himself. But that would have more than likely just damaged the hobbit's self esteem.<p>

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" A loud voice crowed as suddenly a sled being pulled by, much to her shock, rabbits, burst through the foliage.

"What the bloody fuck is that." She blinked at the little man who was sitting on top of the sled, driving the rabbits forward. Bilbo looked as confused as she and shrugged up at her.

However, Gandalf seemed to relax a little bit more at this newcomer. Which was stupid in Loraeza's mind, considering the man looked lika complete and utter nutjob who could very well kill them all. (Perhaps that was being a bit too dramatic on her part, though.)

"Radagast!" The wizard in gray chuckled, and stepped forward when the man leapt off of his sled. "Radagast the Brown! Ah, what on earth are you doing here?" He called out.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." The smaller wizard said frantically, eyes widened to an almost comical extent and Loraeza leaned forward to hear better over the mumblings of the equally shocked dwarves. Gandalf lifted a brow at the other wizard, and leaned forward as well, waiting for Radagast to reply.

"Yes?"

The dragoness nearly started laughing though, when Radagast the Brown opened his mouth to say something, but instead snapped his mouth shut again with a peturbed look, and gazed up at Gandalf like a lost child. It had seemed that Radagast forgot what he was about to say before he even said it. "Oh just give me a minute." He started, humming in thought. "Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there," He said before curling his tongue outward. "on the tip of my tongue." And right there, on the literal tip of his tongue, was a stick bug.

"Gross." Loraeza commented.

"Oh, it wasn't a thought at all; it was just a silly old.." Gandalf pulled the insect off of Radagast's tongue with a shake of his head and Radagast grinned. "-stick insect!"

Behind them, the dwarves, Loraeza, and Bilbo all looked a bit flustered, confused, and well, impatient at what this other wizard had to say. He would have been amusing, if not for the apparent danger he had proclaimed when he first arrived. As if noticing the others in the party, Radagast led Gandalf away from the dwarves, and Loraeza found herself following behind slowly, making her way through the dwarves who, for once, didn't say anything when she pushed past them.

"The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows anymore, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay. But worst are the webs." She heard Radagast tell Gandalf.

"Webs? What do you mean?"

"Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur." He said, and Loraeza stepped forward right beside him then, glaring at Gandalf.

"I did not sign up for any damn giant ass spiders, Gandalf!" She hissed, keeping her voice low but annoyed. Yes, she was old. Yes, she could very well handle herself in the worst of situations. No, she didn't mind spiders at all. They were little and not too bothersome. However giant spiders were another thing.

Radagast looked at her, shocked as if he hadn't expected anyone to interrupt them. But then, his face contorted into a look of confusion as, without warning to Loraeza, he took her face in his hands. "Oh. Oh. Oh, oh, oh. My child, you are not one to be here!" He exclaimed, studying her before she placed her hands on his wrists and pulled him back.

"So I've been told." She said dryly, eyeing the little man. He wasn't as fun as Gandalf was, she decided. Not that Gandalf could really be counted as fun, at least not from her experience.

It was in that moment that Gandalf took the opportunity to intervene before Radagast could question her and lose his train of thought. Again. "Dol Guldur But the old fortress is abandoned."

"No Gandalf, it is not. A dark power A dark power dwells there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead." Radagast's eyes were closed, as if he were reliving whatever horrors he had seen, and it made Loraeza uneasy to watch, but she found that she couldn't look away. "I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a Necromancer has come."

And then his eyes snapped open, and she flinched.

"I'm sorry."

After that, Loraeza decided to turn away back to the dwarves, who were watching Gandalf and Radagast with rapt attention, her focus no longer on the two wizards, and instead on the fact that there was now a necromancer who seemed to be causing trouble with spiders in some forest. Or at least that's what she gathered; she made a mental note to ask Gandalf about it later.

"Gandalf, she is-" Radagast started, his eyes on Loraeza's back after he had blown out some smoke from Gandalf's pipe.

"I know."

"Are you quite su-"

"Yes."

"Very well then, my friend." The brown wizard said, and the two talked with each other about the necromancer for another moment, Radagast stopping to show the blade he'd found just before a howl pierced the air in the distance. It was that noise that made every single member there look up to where the sound hand come from, but it was Bilbo who spoke first.

"Was that a wolf? Are there- are there wolves out there?" He stuttered, and Bofur shook his head, more serious than Loraeza had ever seen him.

"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf."

And then things exploded into chaos.

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><p>An gruesome looking beast suddenly sprang out, growling, gnashing at them all as it knocked over several of the dwarves; but to their defense, they leapt up and Thorin quickly slashing at it with a sword that he had gotten from the troll cave, Kili, who was just as fast, shot an arrow at it and knocked it down long enough for Dwalin to leap in and deliver the final mortal blow.<p>

Loraeza had to admit that she was just a little impressed.

"Warg scouts! Which means an orc pack is not far behind." Thorin yelled, scowling at the thought. He completely ignored the way Bilbo questioned what he said in a shaky voice. Gandalf manuevered his way up to Thorin, a stern look on his face.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"

"No one."

"Who did you tell!"

No one! I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin questioned, his eyes suspiciously moving to Lora before settling back onto Gandalf when the wizard spoke.

"You are being hunted."

As luck wouldn't have it, they couldn't just hop on their ponies and go; the animals had bolted during the chaos with the trolls, and that was the only quick means of transportation. For a moment, Loraeza thought that they were truly trapped. That is when Radagast walked up and started settling back onto his sled.

"I'll draw them off." He said fiercely, and Gandalf frowned.

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will out run you." He warned, and Radagast met his stubborn gaze head on.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits;" He grinned, "I'd like to see them try." And with that, he was off in a flash before anyone could say any more. Loraeza blinked before smirking.

"Go hippie wizard."

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><p>While Radagast circled around, Gandalf and the company made their way behind some large boulders in preparation for when the brown wizard would start leading the orcs on wargs away from them all.<p>

"Come and get me!" Radagast shouted out with a laugh as he popped out of the foliage on his sled, prompting Gandalf and the others to start running themselves.

They rushed across the rocky plain, all breathing heavily and trying to keep their voices down as they hurried on the ones that had fallen somewhat behind. Loraeza herself stayed at the back, ready to push Bilbo or Ori forward if they slowed down just a little. They made their way just a little before having to stop again, not wanting to be seen and shot at, or just seen at all. Ori, who for some reason decided to stray away from the group, ducked out of their cover just for a moment; but it was enough to be spotted by the wargs.

"Ori, no! Come back!" Thorin yelled, but they all chased after him, his brothers keeping him between them after that. Loraeza's breathing was heavy as she kept up, eyes darting to Bilbo every once and a while, and then to Gandalf as he led them across the plain and further away from the wargs; that is, until they stopped just behind a huge rock and Thorin turned to him.

"Where are you leading us?" He questioned, but got no response, only a look from Gandalf that clearly stated 'shut up'. Lora knew that look well. Both Loraeza and the dwarves had thought that Radagast led the wargs and their scouts away from them, that they were safe, but that wasn't the case. One lone warg with a scout on it's back stood up on the rock they were hiding behind. Kili looked to his uncle, who looked back with a nod and as quickly as he could, the younger dwarf stepped out where the warg could see him, and shot off an arrow into the warg's skin.

It was a quick fight; the dwarves took to killing the orc and the warg, which was no easy task. Gnashing, snarling, and shouted curses were thrown as they took the duo down, but it was very nearly that the warg's jaws enclosed over Thorin's arm - and it would have if Loraeza hadn't stepped in and snapped it's neck with ease. They all noticed how quickly she did it, but none of them noticed who she had saved in the process.

But none of them had the time to ask questions when they realized that their fight had drawn the attention of the other enemies in the area.

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><p>"This way, you fools!" They all heard the voice of Gandalf a little bit later after they believed to have lost him, or that he had run off- though, Loraeza wasn't a personal fan of that theory.<p>

Without hesitationand with a loud command from Thorin, every single being in the group turned to follow him into the crack between a few large rocks to escape their enemies. The last two to slip in between the crack was the king and Kili, who both narrowly avoided being caught. For the briefest of moments, they all listened to a raging conflict outside; it had seemed that someone else had come to fight their battle for them, but Loraeza wasn't aware of the 'who' or the 'why'. An orc who had been shot down suddenly tumbled into the space where they were hiding, startling all of them, but Thorin was the first to react.

He noticed the make of the arrow that had been embedded into the orc, and pulled it out with just as much distaste as was on his face. "Elves." He nearly spat.

Loraeza lifted her head to peek through the crack, then. "There are elves out there?" She asked, getting yet another dirty look from Thorin.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin questioned from behind them all after studying the small cave-like structure they were in, and Bofur was the first to answer, followed closely by Loraeza.

"Follow it, of course!"

"I don't think any of us want to go back out there."

Gandalf agreed with a nod. "That woud be wise."

It took a little more effort than usual to squeeze through the narrow rocky path. Bilbo, Gandalf, and Loraeza didn't have much of a problem, being the smallest and thinnest, but there was more than one occasion where Lora had to look away to stifle her laughter; especially when Bombur would get stuck. But finally after a good half hour of squeezing and shouting at each other to move, they were free of the confined quarters and were faced with what Loraeza considered one of the prettiest sights she'd seen since arriving.

"Woah..."

All of the dwarves seemed to share her same sentiments. That is until Gandalf spoke up and told them where they were. "The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by a another name."

"Rivendell." Bilbo breathed.

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><p><em>AN;_

Happy New Year! I struggled with this chapter so much. I wrote it. Rewrote it. Edited it. Deleted it. Wrote it again. And if you repeat that process again, that's what I did. But it's... ehhhh, it's alright in my opinion. Maybe you guys will like it though. Also, hey! Elves in the next chapter! I'll stop teasing you all with the mention of them now! :P

Also, I'm so amused that all of you suggested different weapons that Lora could use; but don't fear! She'll get her own thing soon enough!

But really. I do not like this chapter. It is the current bane of my existence. I swear the next one will be better.

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><p><em>Special thank you to...<em>

_Those who put this story on their follow/favorites lists!_

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><p><em><strong>And now to reply to your reviews...<strong>_

NekoVaria — Wow okay, first off the first part of your review scared the fuck out of me that was _so_ not cool, man. But hey, I'm so glad you like the story! Hopefully you'll continue to like it!

Suzuki — Yes, I do have plans for this story to continue well into Lord of The Rings. :)

Eclaire Stones — Ha! I don't think Thorin's quite realized that yet. And let's be real, Loraeza's not really doing anything to help him realize it. Thank you! She really is.

Wolfbat95 — Thank you! I'm glad you do.

Sarcastic Irony — I had a wonderful Christmas, thank you. And no, no he did not. Which was a lil rude, but hey. She'll get over it. It was a little mean of him, yes, but you'll see that there's a reason for everything! Thank you for your review!

Azukia — Hey, hey! I'm glad you liked this chapter, I hope you like this one too! I haven't seen it (still) whoops. I'm sure I will cry, though.

LilithiaRW — Haha, exactly! This story could basically be called "Gandalf pls." or more likely "Middle Earth pls." And still be properly named lbr.

LeCustard — Nope, he is not. He is a wizard!

RikkiBlake777 — Hey, hey, hey! I'm glad you like it! She should tell them soon... ish.

Veseer Vivian, louise, Tatianna,  . , & Furionknight — Thank you all for your nice comments! Here's the next chapter!

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><p><em>next time on <em>_**Dragon Tales and Dwarf Quests**__..._

"Shit. Elves are pretty." Loraeza mumbled to herself as they walked up the steps in Rivendell. A tall male elf with dark hair openly smirked at her comment, and she turned to look at Fili, who was suspiciously watching the elves. "See, that's what my mother would call Satan in a Sunhat." She said, and Fili looked up at her.

"Who is Satan, and.. what is so important about his hat?" He asked and she grinned.

"That means that nothing that pretty can ever be good for you." And then, much to the displeasure of the elves around them, Fili burst out laughing.


End file.
